Residents along rising rivers ‘know what to expect’ // SLIDESHOW

Published: Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 10:23 PM.

Bush said he checks river readings three to four times a day and is prepared for the water to rise when the river crests.

According to National Weather Service officials, the Chipola River is steadily rising and will crest in Altha at 28.1 feet Friday evening. That is 5 feet above moderate flood stage, which is not high enough to be considered major flood stage.

Mark Wool, meteorologist at NWS, said the agency uses hydrologic models that do not consider influences for upstream dam releases and other changes in the way a river flows, at times incorrectly forecasting rising river totals.

“You can’t stop Mother Nature; you learn to deal with it as it comes,” Bush added.

A few stilted houses down the river, Paul Kirkland stood on the patio of his house surrounded by water.

“It’ll come up to where you see the end of the house, you’ll see just one block,” Kirkland said, pointing to the remaining eight 8-inch cement blocks of one stilt at the base of his house.

“The main thing (is) you just try to keep your head above water; you got a boat, a canoe and a way to get out,” Kirkland said.

Some residents of Altha have to all but swim to come and go from their homes in their flooded neighborhoods after heavy rains slammed the Panhandle throughout the weekend.

“Once you live up here awhile, you know what to expect,” said Richard Bush, who lives on the edge of the Chipola River on Shuman Ferry Road.

Living on stilts is a part of normal life for Bush, however, watching his dog Jake swim across the flooded yard to fetch a branch and making about 40 boat trips (in his three quarters of an acre yard) from his home to the dry roadside is not his usual day.

Bush said he had 20 gallons of gas, two tanks of propane and two generators on hand just in case lights were cut off.

Bush said he checks river readings three to four times a day and is prepared for the water to rise when the river crests.

According to National Weather Service officials, the Chipola River is steadily rising and will crest in Altha at 28.1 feet Friday evening. That is 5 feet above moderate flood stage, which is not high enough to be considered major flood stage.

Mark Wool, meteorologist at NWS, said the agency uses hydrologic models that do not consider influences for upstream dam releases and other changes in the way a river flows, at times incorrectly forecasting rising river totals.

“You can’t stop Mother Nature; you learn to deal with it as it comes,” Bush added.

A few stilted houses down the river, Paul Kirkland stood on the patio of his house surrounded by water.

“It’ll come up to where you see the end of the house, you’ll see just one block,” Kirkland said, pointing to the remaining eight 8-inch cement blocks of one stilt at the base of his house.

“The main thing (is) you just try to keep your head above water; you got a boat, a canoe and a way to get out,” Kirkland said.

The river began flooding his yard Sunday, but before it rose he said he moved yard items and other stuff to a shed built on higher ground adjacent to his home.

“It’ll jump up fast, you can’t play around,” he added.

NWS officials said the river will drop to below flood stage around Monday.

Despite the high water, Amy Hall, spokeswoman for emergency management in Calhoun County, said there have been no requests for emergency shelter.

“We have called the people that have been effected; we kind of advised them to stay with a family or friend,” Hall said, noting the department will provide clean-up services in damaged areas.

Across the Panhandle, areas impacted by the heavy rain will see more flooding as rivers begin to crest.

The Choctawhatchee River in Bruce/Ebro is already in its major flood stage and will crest 2 feet above major flood level, NWS officials said.

The Chipola River in Altha and Marianna will crest and the Apalachicola River in Blountstown will crest higher than normal, but will remain in the moderate flood stage, NWS officials said.

The lake level at Deer Point Reservoir as of 10 a.m. Wednesday morning was 6.69 feet, said Bay County spokeswoman Valerie Sale, which is lower than the 7.1 feet Tuesday afternoon. Sale noted the water is apparently going down, “however, there is still a lot of water coming in from the watershed, so we’ll have to wait and see if that trend holds.”

Bridge reopens

Ed Lee Bridge was opened Wednesday morning. West Veal Road remains closed and as of Tuesday evening Old Allanton Road was closed. Bay County Public Works will continue to inspect bridges as water recedes to check structural safety, Sale said.

Rainfall totals

New rainfall totals for the recent storms were released Wednesday. Below is the total rainfall (in inches) between 6 a.m. Friday and 6 a.m. Monday:

- Marianna (State 71): 12.30

- Clarksville: 12.29

- Panama CityBeach: 12.25

- Chipley: 11.65

- DeFuniak Springs: 10.77

- Bonifay: 10.35

- Kinard: 10.18

- Marianna (airport): 9.96

- Fountain/Bear Creek: 9.96

- Sneads: 9.95

- Panama City: 9.92

- Chipley: 9.32

- Vernon: 8.57

- Alford: 8.42

- Apalachicola(Airport): 8.27

- Sunny Hills: 8.20

- Freeport: 8.08

- Wewahitchka: 7.85

- Santa RosaBeach: 7.70

- NorthwestFla. Beaches Int’l Airport: 7.69

- MiramarBeach: 7.41

Source: National Weather Service

River forecasts

The latest river stages, crest forecasts (in feet) as of 8 p.m. Wednesday: